Therapy using electromagnetic radiation has been used to treat soft tissue injuries such as capsulitis, bursitis, sprains, strains, hematomas and tendinitis, acute and chronic joint problems such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ligament and tendon injuries, tendinitis, arthritic pain, chronic pain such as post herpetic neuralgia, chronic back and neck pain, metatarsalgia, trigeminal neuralgia, brachial neuralgia, plantar fisciitis, cellular damage, in vitro fertilization enhancement, stimulation of embryogenesis, soft tissue injury, aging skin, seasonally affected disorder, inflammation, fine lines and wrinkles, mucositis, frozen shoulder, temporomandibular joint diseases and disorders (TMJ) and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Therapy using electromagnetic radiation has also been used to treat non-union and small bone fractures, herpes, apthous ulcers, leg ulcers, dermatitis, wound healing, burns, acute epididymitis, otorhinolaragngology, gynecology, obstetrics, superficial AP stimulation and tonification, cosmetic imperfections, cellulite, and acne, among other things.
Typically, treatment or therapy using electromagnetic radiation involves radiating energy onto or into a patient's skin. The radiation is typically applied at wavelengths either in the visible, ultraviolet, radiofrequency, or the infrared range. A wide variety of radiating energy sources are available and known in the art. The radiating energy sources used in these therapies radiate energy at a wide variety of wavelengths with different wavelengths having been found to be useful depending on the ailment being treated.
Acne vulgaris is one of the world's most common skin conditions and results from blockage, bacterial colonization and inflammation of the sebaceous follicles. The main cause of acne stems from an abnormally high amount of bacteria, mainly propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), resulting in inflammatory acne. Acne affects between 85-100% of young adults up to the age of 24 years and up to 50% of adults 25 and older. It usually appears on the face, chest, back and limbs and can produce life-long scars, both emotionally and physically. In the United States alone over 17,000,000 people actively seek acne treatment on an ongoing basis. These treatments consist of professionally prescribed pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and invasive skin resurfacing. The P. acnes bacteria has developed up to 80% resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat acne in the past.
acnes absorbs light from the ultraviolet region to about 430 nm, and also absorbs light at about 630 nm. Blue light phototherapy works for a majority of patients with P. Acne vulgaris. The bacteria is made up of an endogenous porphyrin which is a naturally occurring photosensitizer. This photosensitizer absorbs the blue light energy between about 405 to about 425 nanometers and forms a singlet oxygen which simply destroys the bacteria cell. No systemic drugs with their potential side effects and invasive procedures requiring long healing times are necessarily used. For example, radiating energy sources having a peak wavelength of about 415 nm and a bandwidth of about 20 nm have been found particularly useful in the treatment of acne. Peak wavelengths of about 630 nm have also been useful in this regard.
Other examples of electromagnetic radiation useful for treatments include radiation at wavelengths of about 800-810 nm for leg vein and hair removal, wart treatments, hair growth stimulation and tattoo removal, wavelengths of about 1064 nm for skin peel and hair reduction, and of about 574 nm for wrinkle reduction. Varying treatment regimens of pulsing wave (PW) or continuous wave (CW) light, at varying energy levels, are known in the art. Typically, these treatments utilize wavelengths between about 250 and about 2000 nm.
Hand-held therapy devices for delivering electromagnetic radiation are known in the art, however, they are quite expensive and typically limited to one specific use (and one specific wavelength spectrum). The increasing use by medical professionals of different types of electromagnetic radiation devices for a broad range of indications has driven the market demand for similar type devices. Unlike use in a medical setting, the manufacturers of such devices are unable to insure that users follow safety instructions and utilize safety equipment, such as eye protection, provided.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device for delivering radiation that is flexible enough to provide a variety of treatment regimens and wavelength spectrums, so that the device can be used to treat a variety of ailments. There is also a need for compositions and treatment methods that are useful with such devices. In addition, there is a need for a device that reduces the risk of the user being exposed to harmful amounts of radiation so that the device may be used safely without the supervision of a health professional.